Leigh Grossman
@swordsmith.bsky.social
Writer, editor, independent publishing professional, professor, and game designer. Principal of Swordsmith Productions and Unleash the Book. Elected Democrat.
Pinned
The January Unleash the Book course is full, but if you're struggling to write a book, I'm meeting on zoom with folks now about the summer course. Feel free to drop me a line to see if it's a fit for you.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Tariffs driving up the cost of Xmas, according to Erica York at the Tax Foundation: In the first 9 mos. of '24, Americans imported $362m of Christmas tree lights and paid $18m of customs duties. Over the period in '25, imports fell to $329m while customs duties rose to $45m --- a 146% increase.
December 21, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Tariffs driving up the cost of Xmas, according to Erica York at the Tax Foundation: In the first 9 mos. of '24, Americans imported $362m of Christmas tree lights and paid $18m of customs duties. Over the period in '25, imports fell to $329m while customs duties rose to $45m --- a 146% increase.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Reading all of that and you get the feeling that the mistletoe called on its druid roots to apply the Final Nope.
A member of the neo-Nazi white separatist group PNW Wolf Pack fell to his death trying to pick a mistletoe from a tree this holiday season 🎄❄
December 21, 2025 at 4:53 AM
Reading all of that and you get the feeling that the mistletoe called on its druid roots to apply the Final Nope.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
I wish he'd gotten to get old with us.
December 21, 2025 at 2:49 AM
I wish he'd gotten to get old with us.
Working on finishing (or starting) a book? The January @unleashthebook.bsky.social zoom workshop is full, but I still have room in the summer workshop. Usually I meet with people on zoom multiple times to make sure it's a fit before they sign up, so the time to reach out if you're interested is now.
December 19, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Working on finishing (or starting) a book? The January @unleashthebook.bsky.social zoom workshop is full, but I still have room in the summer workshop. Usually I meet with people on zoom multiple times to make sure it's a fit before they sign up, so the time to reach out if you're interested is now.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
My cell phone number is on some list somewhere as a registered Republican in Pennsylvania named Judith and the texts are getting more ominous
December 18, 2025 at 11:31 PM
My cell phone number is on some list somewhere as a registered Republican in Pennsylvania named Judith and the texts are getting more ominous
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
The networks were afraid not to run Trump because they assumed he would use his office to punish them if they didn’t. The irony is that this is what Biden was warning about, a warning they chose not to share with America.
You'll remember that when Biden delivered an address in 2022, networks refused to air it because they said it was "political" www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/0...
As Biden warned about democracy’s collapse, TV networks aired reruns
Broadcasters NBC, CBS and ABC usually air presidential prime-time addresses live. But they found Biden's Philadelphia speech more "political" than newsworthy.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 18, 2025 at 1:30 PM
The networks were afraid not to run Trump because they assumed he would use his office to punish them if they didn’t. The irony is that this is what Biden was warning about, a warning they chose not to share with America.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
December 18, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
back to rewrite, this is too on the nose
WATCH: Replica of the Statue of Liberty topples due to strong winds in Guaíba, Brazil
December 15, 2025 at 11:52 PM
back to rewrite, this is too on the nose
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
I love a chart where even if you didn't know what happened, it's pretty easy to put your finger on *something* having happened at a particular moment
Nearly Two-Thirds Say Government Should Ensure All Have Healthcare Coverage.
(Gallup)
news.gallup.com/poll/699770/...
(Gallup)
news.gallup.com/poll/699770/...
December 15, 2025 at 1:47 PM
I love a chart where even if you didn't know what happened, it's pretty easy to put your finger on *something* having happened at a particular moment
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
The underpants gnome theory of AI strikes again
AI —> ??? —> Profit!
AI —> ??? —> Profit!
New: When the Washington Post ran tests on its AI personalized podcasts, the paper found that between 68% and 84% (!!) of the pods had potential issues.
Still, the paper decided to release the product anyway, saying it would “iterate through the remaining issues”
www.semafor.com/article/12/1...
Still, the paper decided to release the product anyway, saying it would “iterate through the remaining issues”
www.semafor.com/article/12/1...
December 15, 2025 at 2:30 PM
The underpants gnome theory of AI strikes again
AI —> ??? —> Profit!
AI —> ??? —> Profit!
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
I’ve been seeing this cover over and over and I just…
In the original you’re aware of the horror of falling, but the body positions of the workers are solid on the beam. Here, most of them should be falling off, yet they don’t, because they live in an unreal, consequence-free space.
In the original you’re aware of the horror of falling, but the body positions of the workers are solid on the beam. Here, most of them should be falling off, yet they don’t, because they live in an unreal, consequence-free space.
I guess it's fitting that it's a reimagined, worse version of someone else's artwork
December 14, 2025 at 9:36 AM
I’ve been seeing this cover over and over and I just…
In the original you’re aware of the horror of falling, but the body positions of the workers are solid on the beam. Here, most of them should be falling off, yet they don’t, because they live in an unreal, consequence-free space.
In the original you’re aware of the horror of falling, but the body positions of the workers are solid on the beam. Here, most of them should be falling off, yet they don’t, because they live in an unreal, consequence-free space.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Many such cases.
December 14, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Many such cases.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Consider giving a fuck (this would make a lovely gift for someone you love)
December 13, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Consider giving a fuck (this would make a lovely gift for someone you love)
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Imagine doing your own research on measles and then thinking to yourself, "I prefer rolling the dice on brain swelling, blindness, seizures, and a fatal degenerative brain disease that takes 7-10 years to surface over a relatively safe vaccination series."
The Measles Outbreak In South Carolina Is Growing
I'm certain some people are getting tired of this refrain, but I'm going to keep repeating it to make the point: we shouldn't have to talk about measles in this country in 2025. This is a disease that had been officially put in elimination status…
I'm certain some people are getting tired of this refrain, but I'm going to keep repeating it to make the point: we shouldn't have to talk about measles in this country in 2025. This is a disease that had been officially put in elimination status…
The Measles Outbreak In South Carolina Is Growing
I'm certain some people are getting tired of this refrain, but I'm going to keep repeating it to make the point: we shouldn't have to talk about measles in this country in 2025. This is a disease that had been officially put in elimination status for America over two decades ago. We were done with this, thanks in large part to a dedicated campaign of MMR vaccinations and a government that advocated for those same vaccinations.
www.techdirt.com
December 13, 2025 at 4:03 AM
Imagine doing your own research on measles and then thinking to yourself, "I prefer rolling the dice on brain swelling, blindness, seizures, and a fatal degenerative brain disease that takes 7-10 years to surface over a relatively safe vaccination series."
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
WOW. @haleaziz.bsky.social with a new scoop: ICE now gets a running list of every person who is going to be taking a domestic flight inside the United States from the TSA and runs it through their database looking for targets. This explains the Babson College student's arrest.
Immigration Agents Are Using Air Passenger Data for Deportation Effort
www.nytimes.com
December 12, 2025 at 9:26 PM
WOW. @haleaziz.bsky.social with a new scoop: ICE now gets a running list of every person who is going to be taking a domestic flight inside the United States from the TSA and runs it through their database looking for targets. This explains the Babson College student's arrest.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Tips on cradling precious archival books at home if you don't own fancy foam wedges! (Katie is my archives guru)
It's my time to shine! My lo-fi solution is to use towels or similar and roll up. Another towel can be put down to protect the spine.
@bakerdphd.bsky.social
@bakerdphd.bsky.social
December 12, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Tips on cradling precious archival books at home if you don't own fancy foam wedges! (Katie is my archives guru)
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
I'm not precisely sure how to politicize this, but someone please politicize this!
That Dropped Call With Customer Service? It Was on Purpose.
Endless wait times and excessive procedural fuss—it’s all part of a tactic called “sludge.”
www.theatlantic.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:39 PM
I'm not precisely sure how to politicize this, but someone please politicize this!
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Every part of this is bonkers. The intro is bonkers. The transition to his health is bonkers. The mention that other presidents didn't need cognitive exams is bonkers. The claim that this screening test is somehow hard is bonkers. The idea that criticism of him is treason is bonkers. All of it.
December 10, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Every part of this is bonkers. The intro is bonkers. The transition to his health is bonkers. The mention that other presidents didn't need cognitive exams is bonkers. The claim that this screening test is somehow hard is bonkers. The idea that criticism of him is treason is bonkers. All of it.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Hegseth reversed the policy Mark Esper put in place in 2020, which was designed to prevent “discrimination, prejudice, and bias in all ranks.” Hegseth wants to know what they look like when these decisions are made.
December 7, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Hegseth reversed the policy Mark Esper put in place in 2020, which was designed to prevent “discrimination, prejudice, and bias in all ranks.” Hegseth wants to know what they look like when these decisions are made.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Two things:
1) The principle here, called pikuach nefesh, says that you can break a law *to save a life*, not to TAKE a life.
2) But even then, some laws can never be broken to save a life. One thing you *cannot* do for the sake of pikuach nefesh is to kill someone else.
1) The principle here, called pikuach nefesh, says that you can break a law *to save a life*, not to TAKE a life.
2) But even then, some laws can never be broken to save a life. One thing you *cannot* do for the sake of pikuach nefesh is to kill someone else.
She compares the boat strikes to Jesus breaking the sabbath to heal someone.
December 6, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Two things:
1) The principle here, called pikuach nefesh, says that you can break a law *to save a life*, not to TAKE a life.
2) But even then, some laws can never be broken to save a life. One thing you *cannot* do for the sake of pikuach nefesh is to kill someone else.
1) The principle here, called pikuach nefesh, says that you can break a law *to save a life*, not to TAKE a life.
2) But even then, some laws can never be broken to save a life. One thing you *cannot* do for the sake of pikuach nefesh is to kill someone else.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
this sentence alone, my goodness
“She showed up as scheduled, and when she arrived, officers were asking everyone what country they were from, and if they said a certain country, they were told to step out of line and that their oath ceremonies were canceled.”
www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
Immigrants kept from Faneuil Hall citizenship ceremony as feds crackdown nationwide
Trump administration is pausing naturalizations for immigrants from 19 countries.
www.wgbh.org
December 5, 2025 at 11:56 PM
this sentence alone, my goodness
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
oh god, the Jan 6th pipe bomb guy was a Brony
December 5, 2025 at 10:04 PM
oh god, the Jan 6th pipe bomb guy was a Brony
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
I sincerely hope we get to the point in which all MAGA swag is treated as nazi paraphernalia and the only place you will be able to buy it is at a sketchy booth exiled to the very back of a flea market.
At some loint, this has to end in a patriotic display of brutal mob violence.
Years later, so many fake parts than the actual remains. Buckets of teeth. At least sixteen skulls. We have Antiques Roadshow telling folks that sorry, that Trump Femur they got from gran-gran is actually from a coyote.
Years later, so many fake parts than the actual remains. Buckets of teeth. At least sixteen skulls. We have Antiques Roadshow telling folks that sorry, that Trump Femur they got from gran-gran is actually from a coyote.
December 5, 2025 at 11:32 PM
I sincerely hope we get to the point in which all MAGA swag is treated as nazi paraphernalia and the only place you will be able to buy it is at a sketchy booth exiled to the very back of a flea market.